Unit title	Year	Background notes
Why are childhood stories told?	1	In this unit, children will be encouraged to talk about stories that are told about their own childhoods. They will then hear and explore some stories that are told about childhood episodes of some key religious figures. They will then think about why these stories are special for people in the communities where they are told. The story of the young boy Jesus being found in the Jerusalem Temple – the only boyhood story told about Jesus in any of the four Gospels – is explored again in the Year 5 unit, Why is Jesus important to Christians?

Key questions	Concept/s	Learning outcomes	Suggested activities	Resources
What stories are told about us as children and why are these special?	Memories Love Family	To be able to share some baby/childhood stories about themselves and other family members To understand that memories can be very special To find enjoyment in hearing and telling childhood stories	· The class brings in different things from when they were very small eg baby pictures, clothes, board books, special toys. Talk together and share the memories and make a class memory corner · Invite in some parents to talk about amusing memories of when their child was small. Share stories together of memories and think about why they are special · Read a story which is about special memories eg What Did I Look Like as a Baby?	What Did I Look Like as a Baby? by Jeanne Willis, Tony Ross, (Andersen Press, ISBN 0862649595)
What story do Christians tell about Jesus visiting the Temple as a twelve year-old and why is this story special to them?	Special person God	To be able to share what it feels like to be lost and found To understand that Jesus is a special person for Christians To know a story which is told about Jesus’ childhood	· Play some games that are to do with lost and found eg hiding an object in the room and finding it, or hide and seek in the classroom. · Have they ever been lost? What does it feel like? What does it feel like when they were found? · Tell the story of Jesus in the temple. What did Mary and Joseph feel like when they lost Jesus? How did they feel when they found him in the Temple? Why did Jesus feel safe in the temple? How can we tell Jesus is special for Christian people from the story? · Make a class collage of the scene, which shows everyone listening to young Jesus	Luke 2:41-52
What story do Sikhs tell about young Guru Nanak falling asleep when looking after a field and why is this story special for them?	Special person God	To be able to share their feelings about doing wrong and making things better To understand that Guru Nanak is a special person for Sikhs To be able to explain why this story shows that Guru Nanak is special	· Have they ever done anything wrong? How do you make things better? · Tell the story of Guru Nanak as a little boy taking the buffaloes out to graze in the fields, falling asleep and the animals trampling over the crops. What happens next? What does the angry owner say? What does he say when the field grows even higher? What does it mean when Guru Nanak says it has been blessed by God? · Use drama to show falling asleep, the trampling buffaloes, the angry owner and the wonder of the crops growing higher and higher	A Long Time Ago in a Faraway Land: Stories from World Religions for KS1 (see resource list below)
What story do Hindus tell about baby Krishna stealing the butter curds and why is this story special for them?	Childhood Love Special person	To be able to share their memories and feelings about being naughty To know that Krishna is from the Hindu tradition To be able to share ideas about parents loving and forgiving them	· Share some times when they were naughty, or their brothers or sisters were naughty. What happened? What did the grown-ups say and do? · Show a picture of baby Krishna and the butter curds. What can they see? What is he doing? Are there any clues that he is a special person to Hindu people? · Explain that the god Krishna did naughty things when he was small, but his mother Yashoda loved him even though he was naughty. Read the story of the Butter Thief and talk about why his mother forgave him	Scholastic Curriculum Bank, Bk 2, pp31-32, 123 A Long Time Ago in a Faraway Land: stories for KS1 Image of Bal Krishna (Baby Krishna) Picture of Krishna (see website list below)

Useful websites

Coloured pictures of Baby Krishna and the butter curds

http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/void/shunya/parapagal/images/krishna2.jpg

http://neonblue.com/tfs/bk2.jpg

http://www.miseri.edu/users/davies/hindu/balkrish.jpg

http://www.krsnabook.com/images/Sb10.2Plate6.jpg

The story of young Jesus in the Temple

http://www.artmagick.com/Paintings/Painting1958.aspx The famous painting of ‘The Finding of the Saviour in the Temple’ by William Holman Hunt

(1827-1910)

http://www.cybcity.com/childbib/lost.htm Young Jesus is Lost. An easy retelling of the story from a Christian site

The story of Guru Nanak and the Buffaloes

http://allaboutsikhs.com/jsakhis/pics.htm Picture of Nanak asleep with the buffaloes grazing

http://allaboutsikhs.com/gurus/gurunanak.htm Stories about Guru Nanak

http://www.colemangallery.com/Images/L20FBuffaloes.jpg Picture of water buffaloes

A useful book of stories from a range of religious traditions

A Long Time Ago in A Faraway Land… Published by Essex County Council Education Department Tel 01245 436007

A glossary of religious and cultural terms used in this planning grid

Guru Nanak (1469-1539)	The founder of the Sikh religion who was born in the Panjab region of north-west India (which was divided between India and Pakistan in 1948). During his lifetime, a community of people who regarded him as their guru (spiritual teacher) grew up. These people were his Sikhs (disciples). Before he died, he passed on the guruship of the growing Sikh community to a follower who became the second Sikh Guru. There were ten human Gurus in all. Today, Sikhs regard their holy book – the Guru Granth Sahib – as their Guru. Sikhs tell many stories about Guru Nanak, both as a child and as an adult. The story of how, as a boy, Nanak was asked to look after a field but fell asleep and thus did not notice buffaloes coming into the field and trampling the crops, is a favourite one. The story continues by saying that the furious owner of the field took Nanak before his father. But Nanak asked what the matter was. When the group returned to the field, not only was the crop untrampled, it was even higher than before!
Jesus (c2BCE-c29CE)	The main sources of the stories about Jesus are the four Gospel books in the Christian New Testament:. Apart from birth stories – found only in Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels – only one story about Jesus as a child is recorded, and that only in Luke’s Gospel. In later centuries, long after the New Testament had been gathered together, further stories about Jesus’ childhood were told and can be found in other writings and folk traditions.
Krishna	Hindus believe that Krishna was one of the avatars (appearances) of the god Vishnu. Krishna, who is usually depicted with a blue skin, is a focus of devotion for many Hindus. Hindus might reflect on different stages of his life and thus tap into different feelings within themselves. Many stories are told about Bal Krishna (baby Krishna), a child who often did naughty things but in a way that made adults loves him more. Stories are also told about Krishna as a young man and as an adult.